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Required Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will demonstrate the discourse skills necessary to participate in civic life, including:

• the deliberation of ideas through reasoned inquiry that seeks new information and considers multiple viewpoints.
• the ethical practice of advocacy, dissent, and dialogue that constructively attends to points of conflict.

Requirements and Guidelines

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• Civic Discourse courses can be 2 credits.
• Courses up to 25 seats are most suited to this competency.
  • Courses with seats of 26-50 will be considered if the instructor articulates a clear plan for student participation that guarantees meaningful individual participation and individual assessment. 
  • Instructors for courses with more than 50 students should consult with the Assoc. Director for Undergraduate Education to determine if the course can be structured in a way that will meet the expectations. Write to  gened@binghamton.edu.
• The course should, in an explicit and significant way, prepare students for productive engagement in interactions on a topic of public interest. “Topics of public interest” are understood broadly, and examples can be found in any discipline.
• Each student must participate in at least 2 multi-student structured conversations, about such topics, with student-level assessment.
• There must be instructor feedback to each student individually after each structured conversation to identify areas for growth in the skills required for civic discourse. Peer feedback is also encouraged.
• Civic discourse-related activities and assignments must be at least 15% of the course grade.
  • The 2 multi-student structured conversations must each be graded and  constitute at least 8% of the course grade; they may constitute the entire 15% if the instructor chooses. 
  • Related activities and assignments can make up the additional 7%.
• Discussions vs. structured conversations
  
  • While many courses include various types of classroom discussion as part of the pedagogical approach, structured conversations are different. They involve things like assignment of specific topics or issues, careful group formation, and attention to individual-level contributions so that every student is an active participant. 
  • The conversation is specifically structured to ensure that all students practice civic discourse skills and must be assessed by the instructor. 
• Presentations (O) vs. structured conversations (V)
  
  • The approaches for each of these competencies differ. While a presentation can open a topic for class discussion, a presentation is not civic discourse. If an instructor wishes to apply for both the V - Civic Discourse and the O - Oral Presentation, the activities for each competency must be distinct from each other and fully in accordance with the specific requirements for each. 
• Online vs in-person
  • Public life occurs both in-person and online. Therefore, in-person, online, and hybrid courses are all eligible for the V.
  • Civic discourse course activities should align with the mode of instruction (e.g., in person or online).
    • In-person courses must have at least two in-person structured conversations. Additional digital interaction (e.g., discussion boards, forum responses) would be beneficial and is encouraged, but cannot substitute for either of the required structured conversations.  
    • Synchronous online courses must include at least 1 live structured conversation.
    • In asynchronous online courses, structured conversations can be digital activities featuring multiple substantial interactions; however, it is encouraged to offer at least one structured conversation live.
• Civic discourse is “the exchange of ideas about public matters.” Examples of potential topics can be found in any discipline and could include topics like climate change, funding for the arts, the role of scientific research in shaping healthcare policy, public policy about elections, censorship and free speech, engaging public trust in engineering, and many more.
• Civic discourse is distinct from debate. The goal of the course is not to debate topics.
  • Debate is oppositional, where one side ‘wins’ and has as a primary purpose the promotion of one’s own ideas and attempting to convince others to agree with these ideas. Participants defend their positions against challenges. Participants listen to their opponents to find flaws in their arguments so they can better counter them.
  • Discourse builds understanding and engagement with others’ viewpoints. Participants reflect on others' views to gain a deeper understanding of differing viewpoints on the topic. Participants use active listening skills to gain a greater understanding of others' positions on the topic.
• Civic vs civil.
  • The focus of the Civic Discourse competency (V) is to acquire the discourse skills necessary to participate in civic life. While this can include being civil (i.e., polite) to one another, that is not the focus of the gen ed. One can be civil while still not, in good faith, participating in civic discourse.

Additional guidance from SUNY about Civic Discourse

The phrase “participate in civic life” is intentionally broad to capture the ways in which individuals engage with various communities and public spaces, which may include political and social institutions within the United States and across the globe, as well as other spaces of public life, such as digital forums and the workplace. Conceived of in this manner, the skills of civic discourse are applicable across a range of disciplines.

This core competency is intended to focus on students acquiring the knowledge to understand the importance of, and requirements for, civic discourse, and students will demonstrate the skills that reflect this knowledge. This competency is not intended to assess student conduct in general.

Rubric/Assignment Samples

Click here to see sample rubrics and assignments for assessing the SLOs.